Bizarre Gotthard tunnel opening ceremony. What the hell was this about?

[JohnyCanuck]

"Hell" seems to be the operative word.

[Raster]

1. My take: it's a Euro thing...

...meaning the tunnel (currently the world's longest, I believe) goes from Switzerland, underneath the Alps to Milan. Switzerland has definite heritage aspects to their country, which can best be demonstrated by the languages spoken: German, Swiss/German, French, Italian and Romanish. Switzerland is the fondue pot of Europe, meaning many different cultures and heritages come together to form the Swiss.

My two cents. My paternal Grandmother was of Swiss descent.

[kimbutgar]

4. i recently took the train from Milan to Zurich it took 4 hours

I look forward to someday taking this train thru the new tunnel. But the view was breath taking on the old one.

[Warpy]

5. Right, it will cut the journey's time

but I think I'd only take the red eye. I'd want to see the mountains on the old route if they keep it running, even as a local.

This is the deepest, longest rail tunnel in the world, under the Alps ferkrissake. It deserved a lot of fanfare with a lot of dignitaries and they were all white because, hey, this is Europe, guys!

As for the "transgender Baphomet," oh boy, that was a stretch and a twist and a backwards triple flip all in one.

I didn't watch it past the "look at the number of dignitaries and they're all white" paranoia. Not worth it, IMO.

I'd have liked to see the full ceremony, though. I'll probably look for it later on.

[Tikki]

2. Poor guy doesn't understand that Switzerland has a very long history.

And the 9~11 thing...come on internet dude really, give it a rest.


Tikki

[beastie boy]

3. What adds to the weirdness of this spectacle is that RT, the Russian TV network is filming and

providing comments on it.

How do they end up in all the weird places at the right time?

https://www.rt.com/news/pussy-riot-sochi-cossacks-748/

[uhnope]

13. Putin TV and the RW wants to spread negativity towards any EU success story

and is using bigotry against Swiss folklore to do it.

There's a ton of synchronized BS about this ceremony in all the RW media. "Satanic" etc.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. This makes TOTAL SENSE....

....given enough beer.

[LiberalLovinLug]

7. This guy needs to get out more

I'd love to see that kind of spectacular weirdness for a North American transit opening.

[Crash2Parties]

11. Oh, just wait until the grand opening of Ham's Ark Encounter in a month

We're just *used* to that brand of crazy so it seems...normal?

[zeemike]

8. Yep that is pretty weird alright.

The creepiest part was the automatons in orange jump suits lock stepping.
WTF was that all about?

[Midnight Writer]

9. I wish Robert Anton Wilson were still around to explain this to us

[FailureToCommunicate]

10. I should NOT have tried to watch this just before bedtime!

[uhnope]

12. RT STFU. Putin TV is bigoted & jealous of EU solidarity. RW BS CTs

A RW Swiss politician saw Muslims (the party is cozy with Putin), and the other youtube vids on it say "New World Order" and "Satanic" and other crap.

This presentation referenced Swiss folklore. Get over it.

http://www.expatica.com/ch/news/SW-Gotthard-tunnel-global-media-praise-a-national-obsession_695104.html

British newspapers and the BBC also bombarded their readers with facts and numbers, with the Daily Mail tabloid seemingly more excited by the opening ceremony.

“A winged baby, semi-naked dancers and a man with a bird’s nest on his head: how Switzerland decided to mark opening of world’s longest rail tunnel,” it wrote.“The Swiss have put on one of the most bizarre opening ceremonies in history to mark the completion of the world’s longest tunnel.” To be fair, it also noted that the tunnel’s creation would mean a million fewer lorries on the roads.
...
The Berner Zeitung joined virtually every other paper in pointing out the symbolism of a structure that brings European countries closer together “at a time when Switzerland’s relationship with the EU has never been so open and unclear”.

It added that the main reason for the tunnel was getting freight off roads and onto rail tracks, “but this shift will only work if our neighbours keep their side of the bargain”.
...
“The artistic production, with its concept ‘Gotthard myths’, used figures and legends exclusively from Alpine culture. The aforementioned figures are not dervishes but dancing haystacks.”
Switzerland has countless traditions in which people dress up in old-fashioned and wild costumes and express their “dark side”. In Appenzell, for example, singing “Uglies” wrapped in bristly fir branches have been ringing in the new year for centuries.

[Jerry442]

14. In my mind's eye, the tunnelers spent years toiling deep underground...

...and now they've emerged into the light, task done and they're spending some time going completely bonkers celebrating. Oh, they're allowed.

Yeah, I know, none of that is literally true, but I like it.

[MrMickeysMom]

15. Were the dignitaries representing the EU countries mainly funding this?

From the edited images I saw, I recon that it had a good dose of class politics, orange suits, which in America represent the prison industrial complex, and then all that performance art.

Strange... but, no cigar yet.